Whenever a beloved book series is adapted to a film, the first thing readers of those books look for are what changes are made. This is to be expected as very few books are left totally unscathed in the adaptation process. Natrurally, the Disney+ recently released Artemis Fowl is no exception.
Based on the series of books by Eoin Colfer, it follows the tale of young Artemis Fowl. In the books, Artemis is more of a super villain than a hero. It is only as the books continue that he begins to evolve.
Branagh Speaks
However, in Director Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation, Artemis starts out on the more heroic path. In a recent interview with Slash film, Branagh explains why this fundamental change was made.
It was a decision based on a sort of inverse take on what I saw in the books. With Eoin introducing Artemis gathering a sense of morality across the books. He said that he had him preformed as an 11-year-old Bond villain. It seemed to me that for the audiences who were not familiar with the books, this would be a hard, a hard kind of thing to accept…
I wanted us to find the humanity inside the character, before going on a journey which might be the opposite to the books but sort of integral in the sense of what I was looking for, which was a journey that maybe took our Artemis which he arrives at the end of the movie ready to go to the dark side.
A good decision?
For those who haven’t read the books, this might not be a deal breaker as they are being introduced to the character. However, it remains to be seen if those who are loyal readers of the books will be on board. Artemis Fowl can be seen exclusively on Disney+.
Have you seen Artemis Fowl yet? If so, what did you think of the film? For those familiar with the books, is this a bridge too far? Share your thoughts on the adaptation with us at GeekVibesNation.
Source: Comicbook.Com
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Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
